JUST IN: Sokoto youths threaten to take up arms in self-defence as bandit attacks surge

Growing frustration over repeated bandit attacks and a surge in kidnappings has led youths in Shagari Local Government Area of Sokoto State to consider taking up arms in self-defence.

In a statement on Thursday, signed by youth activist Bello Bala Shagari, an online meeting of Shagari youths expressed deep concern over what they described as the government’s failure to protect lives and property in their communities.

They lamented that persistent bandit attacks have displaced families, disrupted farming activities, and left residents living in fear.

Mr. Shagari, a grandson of former Nigerian President Shehu Shagari, said the youths had reached “a last-resort decision” to defend themselves and their communities in the face of relentless attacks.

“The government has done little to protect us. We cannot sit idle while our people suffer. Self-defence may be our only remaining option,” he said.

“Although we prefer peace, we can no longer watch lives being lost and property destroyed on a daily basis.”

The group called on both the Sokoto State Government and the Federal Government to urgently deploy adequate security personnel to Shagari and surrounding areas, stressing that proactive measures, rather than promises, were needed to restore confidence and prevent a descent into lawlessness.

Security analysts have repeatedly warned that local communities resorting to armed self-defence could escalate violence and complicate peace efforts.

However, with attacks spreading across Sokoto and other North-West states, calls for community-based security measures are gaining momentum.

Sokoto, like neighbouring Zamfara, Katsina, and Kebbi, has endured years of armed banditry marked by mass abductions, killings, and raids on farming villages.

Data from SBM Intelligence and other conflict trackers indicate that hundreds have been killed and thousands displaced in the North-West since 2021.

Notable incidents include the February 2021 abduction of 279 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Jangebe, in Zamfara, and the kidnapping of 27 students and staff at Government Science College, Kagara, in Niger State, followed by 156 pupils from Salihu Tanko Islamiya School, Tegina. Sokoto itself witnessed multiple attacks in late 2021 and 2022, including the massacre of over 40 travellers in Sabon Birni LGA.

Despite military operations such as Operation Hadarin Daji and Operation Safe Haven, insecurity persists, with many communities accusing authorities of neglect.

Civil society groups, including Amnesty International, have documented how rural residents face extortion, forced levies, and killings by armed groups.

The warning from Shagari youths echoes similar developments in Zamfara and Katsina, where vigilante groups, known locally as Yan Sakai, emerged but often triggered retaliatory violence.

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